'No relief in weather forecast as 116 new wildfires battled

Eighty-five of the record 116 new wildfires burning across northern Alberta are out of control and there's no relief in the weather forecast.

No communities are threatened by the blazes. But with winds of 65 to 78 km-h expected in some areas today, Alberta Environment is worried that "extreme burning conditions" could cause fires to spread.

"With over 100 fires burning, you have 100 possibilities they could grow," says provincial fire information officer Rick Strickland. "The sheer number of fires is a concern, particularly after our May and June scenarios."

Recent dry weather and soaring temperatures earlier this week had ignited 38 fires by Wednesday. More than 100 more new blazes were sparked by 44,000 lightning strikes across Alberta Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Fire weather meteorologist Lisa Avis says the weekend weather forecast is bad news. High temperatures are expected to continue throughout the weekend and there is little chance of rain.

She says the worst problem is that lightning may continue, and the strong winds expected today could fuel the fires.

Firefighters have extinguished more than 50 blazes across the province since Wednesday and are battling to keep up with new hot spots.

There are 400 firefighters in the field and more Albertans are on the way. Nineteen helicopters and 19 bulldozers have been deployed.

The areas most threatened are in the northern east slopes of the Rockies and the northeastern boreal forest.

Strickland said some of the most serious fires are around Pelican Lake, Berland and south of Lesser Slave Lake. The wildfires closest to Edmonton are 230 km north in the Deer Mountain area.

Fire officials evacuated a gas plant north of Wabasca Thursday, but no community evacuations are planned. Strickland says the community closest to threatening fires is Fox Creek.

Numerous fires are out of control 60 km southwest of the town of 2,350, but residents aren't sweating it.

"We don't see smoke yet and they haven't put out an alert, so we're not too worried about it," said 43-year-old Wayne Brown, who's lived in Fox Creek for 20 years.

Residents were put on alert earlier when a Virginia Hills fire came within 17 km of town, but "living in the bush, you get used to these threats," he said.

Strickland says most of the fires are about 10 hectares. Some are effecting areas as wide as 300 hectares, and fire officials saw one fire spread from five to more than 200 hectares Thursday.

Strickland says 1998 has been a record year for the size and number of forest fires in Alberta as well as the value of lost timber and the cost of firefighting.

The most he recalls Alberta spending annually on fighting flames was $75 million in the 1980s. The tab to date for 1998 is $134.6 million. Nevertheless, Strickland says the wildfire resurgence is not likely to be as bad as the May blazes because there is more greenery and less dry fuel on the ground.

He says Alberta Environment is not likely to issue a fire ban before the weekend, but the department is urging people to exercise extreme caution with campfires.

Meanwhile, about 100 Edmonton soldiers were dispatched Thursday night to help fight forest fires in southern British Columbia. The soldiers from B Company of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry left on military buses for Salmon Arm, B.C. The buses were expected to stop in Canmore to pick up more soldiers training at a mountaineering school.

A convoy of military trucks carrying tents and rations left the base this morning, said Capt. Kevin Weidlich, a base spokesperson. An army reconnaissance party also left Edmonton Thursday afternoon.

COSTS SOAR

Here's how fires, and the cost of fighting them, compare between this year and 1997:

Fires, Cost

1997 352, $25 million

1998 1,164, $134.6 million

Source: Alberta Environment